Clear Choice

When Canadian windshields need repair, car owners turn to Belron Canada. The company, a subsidiary of global glass repair leader Belron, provides both commercial and consumer vehicle glass repair and replacement and distribution services across the country…

The parent company, Belron International, is the largest automotive glass repair and replacement company in the world. It is active in thirty-four countries on five continents. Through its subsidiaries around the world, Belron completes a glass repair every three seconds, with an average of 8000 windshield repaired every day.

Belron expanded into Canada with its acquisition of a number of leading brands – including Standard Autoglass and Lebeau Vitres d’autos – and Montreal-based Belron Canada was born. The company, through its many brands, provides glass repair and replacement services for vehicle windows of all types in addition to window and door replacement for commercial and residential applications.

While glass repair is the main service offered, the company also repairs automotive electronics via its Technicentre Plus division, which provides aftermarket service to GM and Saturn dealers in Quebec and Eastern Canada. Belron also distributes windshield wipers, anti-theft systems, remote starters, waterproofing equipment and a host of other automotive accessories. Through its four hundred service centers and forty distribution centres, it serves not only individuals but dealerships, corporations, vehicle fleet management companies and insurance companies across Canada.

The company is smart enough to know that a happy customer is a repeat customer. Other glass companies might recommend replacing a cracked windshield with a new one in order to maximize profits, but Belron will first attempt to repair, rather than replace, windshields. ‘Repair first’ is a part of the company philosophy and saves the customer time and money while in turn reducing the impact on the environment.

The companies in the Belron group use an exclusive process to repair cracked windshields. A compressor is used to remove air from cracks, which are then filled with a clear liquid resin. Windshields repaired by the service centers have no safety differences when compared to new ones.

Windshield safety is more critical than most people realize. In a modern vehicle, a windshield is an integral part of the safety structure as it provides structure for the passenger side airbag, helps stop the roof from caving in in the event of a rollover, prevents the vehicle’s occupants from being ejected upon impact and increases a vehicle’s resistance to bumps. Belron installs windshields according to strict standards out of concern for the safety of its customers.

The company uses leading edge technologies and methods, insisting that all materials used in either repair or replacement are of top quality and meet the highest industry standards. All work, whether repairing or replacing glass, is done using materials approved by original equipment manufacturers and is in full compliance with Canadian automotive safety standards and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Belron’s research and development team is constantly looking to innovate and improve upon methods that will increase safety and satisfaction for its customers.

Making customers happy is also the job of the Belron Claims Management Centre. Agents manage the entire automotive glass claim, from taking calls and managing the insurance claim to providing the necessary authorizations and settling the bill with the repair shop. The claims management agents give the customer a list of glass shops conveniently located near home or work and, once a selection has been made, forward the job authorization to the chosen service partner and inform customers of the procedures to follow. One phone call and Belron handles every detail to make customers’ lives easier.

The centre’s service also strives to make life easier for various partners such as insurance and fleet companies. Corporate accounts can also receive additional services such as road safety initiatives, direct phone numbers, loyalty programs, summary invoicing and, where available, mobile repair service.

A further service from the company’s corporate service centres is Webclaim, a computer solution designed to streamline insurance claims management. Webclaim shows details of applicable insurance coverage available to a specific client then approves the repair or replacement work on behalf of the insurance company. Once a user is familiar with the system, claims processing times are greatly reduced, increasing efficiency. Currently only offered in collaboration with one insurance company, Belron hopes to expand the system and use it worldwide.

With an emphasis on customer service and a promise to ‘repair first’, Belron Canada has enjoyed steady growth, with a number of acquisitions in the past year alone, and currently has nearly two thousand employees. A training program, given by certified experts of the Belron Group, is taken by all its technicians. Belron Group technical teams, with in-house, dedicated training programs, then train technicians to use the latest tools exclusively developed by the group.

The combination of low cost and efficient, quality service from trained specialists results in a stellar record of customer satisfaction. Trained employees then serve as ambassadors of the brand.

The company recognizes that skills should be rewarded and gives its employees the opportunity to grow with the company. Belron aims to employ people of good character and skills. “The personality traits that define us are also those that we seek in potential candidates who want to work with us.” It looks for talented team players, with integrity, who aim for extraordinary results.

Belron hires a people for a variety of positions with employees potentially involved in manual, technical, customer service or administrative positions. The growth of the company ensures that there are always a number of career opportunities available within its network of service centres, distribution centres and warehouses across Canada.

Since 2008, Vanfax has become one of Canada’s largest distributors of auto glass and is an important part of the Belron family, providing glass to Belron brands as well as others. As its name suggests, Vanfax, with its three hundred employees, delivers across the country from Vancouver to Halifax from its forty distribution centers across the country. The subsidiary proudly stands for quality, service and value. Vanfax also has a new online process, available around the clock which provides secure catalogue access and allows orders to be placed on anytime and is the only Canadian company to carry a complete inventory of window glass for recreational vehicles.

Belron Canada believes in corporate responsibility and tries to give back as it concludes that the long term success of a company is dependent on the quality of the world in which it operates.

Internationally, the company fundraises through corporate and employee donations as well as the London Triathlon to support Afrika Tikkun, a non-governmental organization in South Africa that provides support to the poorest communities providing essential services that strengthen families and develop children into productive citizens.

In Canada, the company supports the Canadian Cancer Society through corporate and employee donations and its participation in the annual Relay for Life. Employees also are involved locally in a number of community charity organizations and do volunteer work to support the cause of their choice.

The company’s desire to become the main choice in automotive glass repair and replacement around the world is only part of its focus; it wants to maintain a reputation as a respected, trustworthy company by ensuring that all activities are performed in a responsible manner at all times. “Our work ethic distinguishes us from the others.” The principles of integrity, respect and trust continue to guide the way it works.

It exceeds client and partner expectations through its ability to maintain a strong reputation in the quality of services and products offered while a national presence ensures that service centers have ready access to supplies when needed.

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